February Fourteenth
by ShadowSwan
Summary: Happy Valentine's Day! Fluffy fics for all your favourite couples on the theme of love! Mostly AU-ish. Read as many or as few as you fancy. CURRENTLY FEATURING: Fabian/Nina, Amber/Alfie, Jerome/Mara, Mick/Amber, Patricia/Eddie COMING SOON: Ben/Piper, Jerome/Joy, Nina/Eddie, KT/Fabian. Can't see your favourite couple? Let me know and I'll see what I can do!
1. Fabian and Nina

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places etc. related to House of Anubis.**

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**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Welcome to this collection of short Valentine's Day related stories for all of your favourite couples. Use the drop down chapter menu to find your favourite couple and enjoy! Read as many or as few as you'd like, and I hope you're all having a lovely day.**

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Roses Are Grey

14 February 2012

Fabian was pacing. He'd been pacing for half an hour already, and it was doing nothing for his nerves.

"Stop it," Eddie groaned, his head under his pillow. "Go back to bed or sit down or something."

"Sorry," Fabian apologised, sinking down onto the bed and starting to tap his feet on the floor.

Eddie sighed and burrowed further under his duvet, trying to reclaim his lost sleep. It was seven in the morning on the fourteenth of February, otherwise known as, the first Valentine's Day Fabian had ever had a girlfriend to celebrate with. He'd been up since six nervously getting ready. Despite the fact they had school, he wanted to make sure Nina had a perfect day.

He wanted her to know just how much he cared for her. Nina was, in his eyes, perfect. And though he knew she wouldn't care if he texted her with that same sentiment and presented her with some grass by way of a present, he wanted her to be absolutely sure of it.

For the next fifteen minutes Fabian ran through what he was going to say in his head, until Eddie, finally fed up with his muttering and fidgeting, yelled at him to get out of the room. Fabian suspected he was just grumpy because he and Patricia weren't currently an item, so he was technically single for Valentine's Day. Fabian knew the feeling well.

Slightly afraid of his sleep deprived roommate, Fabian had stumbled into the living room, coming face to face with Nina.

"Nina," he said, stunned.

"Fabian," she smiled. "Good morning."

"What are you doing in here?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Getting breakfast. Like we always do," she shrugged. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. No. I mean, yes, I'm fine... give me two seconds."

Fabian dashed out of the room, gave himself thirty seconds to let his red cheeks return to normal, then picked up Nina's stuff and went back into the living room, this time with purpose.

"Are you okay now?" Nina asked, smiling as she buttered some toast.

They were the only two in the room, much to Fabian's relief, so he sat next to her at the table and presented her with her gifts and a card.

"Yes. Sorry about that," he said, scratching the back of his head and frowning. "But let's forget that happened. Happy Valentine's Day, Nina."

"Fabian," she said, her eyes lighting up. "What's all this?"

"Just wanted to show you how much I l- how much I like you," Fabian nodded, his smile nervous and hopeful.

Nina opened the presents first. She'd half been expecting flowers, chocolate and a necklace, unsure of how Fabian went about Valentine's Day, but he surprised her. Inside the first lay a beautiful leather bound notepad, with a tiny N and a heart in the corner, so small she almost missed it first time round. A matching bookmark was the second present, and the third was a simple charm for her bracelet, a tiny silver heart.

"Fabian, they're so nice, thank you," Nina said, toast abandoned as she reached over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he grinned, handing her a card. "Erm, excuse the inside of it. Amber said it would be romantic if I drew something, but as you can tell, roses aren't my speciality."

"Oh, is that what it's meant to be?" Nina teased as she opened the card.

"I'll try and improve for next year," Fabian laughed.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Nina smiled, putting the card down and kissing him properly this time.

"Woah, some of us haven't eaten yet," Alfie joked, earning himself a nudge from Amber.

"Sorry guys," Nina laughed, still smiling at Fabian. "Just beginning what I think will be my favourite Valentine's Day ever."

14 February 2013

_Nina,_

_Happy Valentine's Day. I don't know if this letter will reach you in time, or maybe it'll be too early, but regardless of when you receive it, just know it was meant for February fourteenth. I got your address from Eddie. Don't be angry at him. I didn't give him much of a choice._

_I know you said you didn't want me to get in touch with you, and I know you're probably enjoying a fresh start back home, but I couldn't let Valentine's Day pass by and not write to you. There is no one else I would want to spend today with. Maybe you've found someone else, but no one compares to you Nina._

_I still spend every waking second thinking about you, and when I go to bed, you appear in my dreams too. I'd give anything for you to just talk to me again. I know you haven't returned any of my calls, or my messages, or my letters, but I'm hoping Valentine's Day might melt your heart a little bit. _

_Maybe it won't._

_My fingers are crossed though._

_I think back to last Valentine's Day, when we walked round school all day with giant smiles, and I was wondering how you could be as happy as I was when I was clearly the winner in that situation. I miss your smile. And then I think of how I tried to pull your chair out for you at lunch but accidentally tripped you up, but you didn't mind because you're the sweetest person I'll ever know. _

_More than anything, I wish I could be sat opposite you again, at another table for two in a restaurant that cost me three months' savings but was so worth it. We don't have to go Italian again - we can go for Chinese, or Indian, or I know how you sometimes like to just grab a burger. Anything's fine, just as long as I'm at the table with you, and it's your eyes I get to look into._

_I miss you Nina. I miss how we were this time last year, and I find myself wondering how it all went so wrong._

_I hope wherever you are, you're happy, but I hope that place isn't in someone else's arms. I've attached all of my contact details, so you're fully up to date and there's no reason why you can't get back in touch with me. I'll just be sat here waiting for you. Everyone else misses you too, but nowhere near as much as I do._

_Always and forever,_

_Fabian_

_P.S. - I drew you another rose. I think it's an improvement on last year's. I tried to shade a little bit this time. I would've sent you a real rose, but I didn't think I'd be allowed._

14 February 2014

_Nina._

_It's Valentine's Day again. I know you didn't respond to me last year, but maybe persistency is the key here. Eddie told me to give up, but I refuse to. You are the only girl I've ever loved._

_There, I said it, and I wish I'd said it properly to your face when I had the chance._

_I love you Nina Martin. I always will. I don't think I will ever get over you, and the way you broke my heart._

_I hope this makes you realise you still love me. I'm sure you must. You felt the same way I did, so surely you're hurting the same way I am right now. _

_Life goes on, but it feels a little duller than it used to. I want to walk in and see you smile at me, and know that I don't even need to sit next to you at breakfast to know you're happy to see me, and I don't have to say anything and you know I'm pleased to see you, even though we only said goodnight ten hours ago. I sit by myself in most lessons now, because if I can't race someone to get the answers first, or talk to someone who will actually listen, I don't see the point. Mostly though, I just want to walk into the living room again, just once more, and pull you into my arms and watch some rubbish film with you, except I never watch because your eyes and every expression you pull is so much better than anything on a screen._

_I wish I'd known the last time we did that that it would be the last time. I would have savoured it even more._

_Everyone from school is starting to settle down with people, but I can't seem to, because no one comes close to being as perfect as you were. I don't think I'll ever find anyone, because if that person isn't you, I don't want them. Maybe I'll come over to the US one day, try and find you again._

_I miss you Nina._

_Please respond. Please. I even drew you another rose._

_Always,_

_Fabian_

14 February 2015

_Nina._

_Happy Valentine's Day. Even I'm giving up hope now. It doesn't come easily, but everyone has to be a realist from time to time._

_I can tell enough time has passed now, because when I mention you, no one wants to listen. They just give me this look of pity and make a swift excuse to leave. Eddie's so bored of it that he doesn't even bother with the pity. He just tells me to shut up and move on, but it's easy for him to say when he gets to see the girl he loves every day. Yeah, they went to university together._

_University is amazing. I wish I was sharing this with you. See your face every time I read something interesting and know that there is one other person who finds it just as interesting. Looks never held much for me - your intelligence and your personality are far more attractive, and it was always just a lovely extra that you are beautiful._

_Are you at university? Where do you study? What do you study?_

_I've asked you questions now. You have to send me a reply._

_Please Nina._

_Yours,_

_Fabian_

_P.S. - sorry for the crumpled paper. The rose was going so well but I had to rub it out and... well you can see the disaster._

14 February 2016

_Nina_

_I'm giving up. The scrawl at the bottom is the last rose you'll ever receive from me. Clearly you never loved me the way I loved you, or I would have heard from you by now. I think back to four years ago today and wonder where it all went wrong._

_I hope wherever you are, you're happy. Know that I am probably not._

_Fabian_

14 February 2032

Nina leaned over her balcony, closing her eyes and letting Miami's warm air surround her. It was still fairly early but the sun was just warm enough for colours to be dancing behind her eyelids.

"What are you doing out here?" a sleepy voice asked.

"Just enjoying the morning," Nina smiled, turning around to her husband. Despite the fact he'd clearly just rolled out of bed, he looked handsome in rather a rugged way. His blonde hair was sticking up in every other direction, and he needed a shave, but she kissed him on the cheek anyway.

"Valentine's Day and all I get is a kiss on the cheek?" he laughed, catching her hand as she danced back into their bedroom.

"Depends on where you take me to dinner tonight," she teased.

"I think you'll like it."

"Do we have to take the kids again?"

"That was four years ago," he said indignantly. "Are you ever going to drop that?"

"Probably not," Nina grinned.

"Well, the answer is no, my mom is having them. Happy?"

"Very," Nina nodded, leaning in to kiss him again but pressing her lips to his nose instead before darting away.

"Nina," he groaned, following her into the bedroom.

"You love me really," she said, beginning to get dressed properly.

"Many wouldn't," he grumbled, doing the same. "But yes, I do love you. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too," Nina said, padding over and finally kissing him on the lips, feeling him smile.

Before things could go too far though, the doorbell rang and Nina reluctantly pulled away, threw a dress on and hurried downstairs. She could hear the kids waking up and knew that romance was out of the question now until tonight. They'd go in to see their father and then because there was no school they'd probably want to do something, especially because it was a nice day. Valentine's Day was on hold.

"Hi," Nina smiled, opening the door to find the mailman with a few letters and a parcel.

"Morning Nina," he said cheerfully, holding out a piece of paper for her to sign. "See you around."

"Bye," she said, closing the door and inspecting the post.

The package was for her darling husband, probably a new tool for him to play with in their shed. She'd signed for a few too many of them recently. The letters included a couple of bills, a letter from school... and a brown envelope, with very familiar handwriting.

Nina's heart skipped. She hadn't received one of these in years.

"Nina? Who was it?"

"Just the mailman," she called back upstairs, trying to make her voice sound normal.

"Anything for me?"

"Yeah, I'll leave it on the table."

Wandering into the kitchen, hoping no one would race down the stairs, Nina paused and then opened it gently. Rather than the reams of pages she used to receive, complete with attached photos, there was just one little note.

_Nina,_

_I know I haven't sent you a Valentine's Day letter in quite some time now. I guessed that was probably what you wanted. The other day though, I came across the box in my wardrobe which held all the letters I never sent you. I didn't stop writing them you see, I just stopped sending them._

_However, they made me smile, and I thought I'd send one last one, if only to show you how impressive my drawing is nowadays._

_I hope you're well Nina. I hope you've found happiness. I have, and you deserve it too. _

_There's no need for you to reply to this. I've deliberately written the wrong address on the back of the envelope. I don't even know if your address is the correct one. I just wanted you to know that I won't forget about you, and I'd like to think you won't forget about me. The last letter I ever sent you was not the way I want you to remember me. _

_When your children ask who your first love was, I want you to be able to tell them that it was a boy who grew into a man who loved you dearly, as I did. No regrets, no bitterness, no unhappy memories. _

_Just Fabian and Nina, high school sweethearts who spent one wonderful summer together, and who always had one little place in each other's hearts._

_Forever,_

_Fabian_

Underneath his writing was a rose, of course, and he was right, it was impressive. It was the most perfect drawing of a rose she'd ever seen. It wasn't coloured in, as they used to be, just a grey pencil sketch, but there wasn't a single flaw.

Nina smiled. Quite honestly, it resembled how she felt for Fabian. A whisper of the past, a faded memory, but still whole, and now perfect.

She tucked the letter back into the envelope, ready to place it alongside all the others she'd kept for so long. Fabian would always hold a small part of her heart, but he was a thing of the past now. She could finally close that door. The screams and giggles of her children from upstairs made her smile. She was pleased Fabian had found the same happiness she had.

This, she could tell, would truly be the sweetest Valentine's Day she would ever have.

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**A/N: Bittersweet, I know, but I do quite like it. I hope you enjoyed this fic! Can't find your favourite couple? Wish you could see a continuation? Hit review and I'll see what I can do. Happy Valentine's Day!**


	2. Amber and Alfie

Crossed Wires

"Alfie," Amber said sternly.

Alfie glanced up from pouring milk over his cereal, alarmed.

"Yes?" he gulped, and Jerome snorted.

"It's Valentine's Day exactly a week away," announced Amber.

"Oh, that," Alfie laughed, relieved.

"Yes, that," said Amber, her turn to be alarmed now.

"It's all sorted," Alfie grinned. "Don't you worry."

Amber looked at him in surprise and then squealed in delight. Hopping up from the table, she ran round and pounced on him from behind, crushing him in a hug. Jerome moved swiftly to avoid being part of the attack and eventually gave up, wandering back to his room. The others did the same, leaving Amber and Alfie by themselves.

"Have you actually booked something?" Amber clarified, taking Jerome's seat next to him.

Alfie looked at his mushy cereal sadly then turned to Amber.

"Yes, everything is sorted, like I said. Don't you worry," he said, patting her on the head and earning himself an unimpressed look.

"This is so... unlike you," she said, starting to get suspicious. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," laughed Alfie. "And I wanted to do something nice. It's Valentine's Day. You deserve it."

"Best boyfriend ever," Amber declared as she left the room to redo her hair. "Ever!"

Alfie grinned after her, pleased he'd finally gotten something right. Now back to the important stuff. Picking up his spoon, he prepared to shovel his cereal in as quickly as possible to avoid it completely disintegrating, but was interrupted by Trudy.

"Sorry Alfie, school," she informed him, whisking the bowl away.

"But... why is this world so cruel?" he moaned, watching his poor, uneaten cereal make its way back into the kitchen.

"I've wrapped some toast up for you," Trudy said, coming back through with a foil package.

"Best housemother ever," Alfie yelled, grabbing his toast and racing to his room to grab his school bag. "Ever!"

\/\O~O/\/

"What should I wear?" asked Amber, looking up at Alfie.

They were walking through the corridor to next lesson, hand in hand. Amber had been trying to be the perfect girlfriend since yesterday's announcement that Alfie had Valentine's Day sorted.

"Whatever you want to," Alfie grinned.

He knew Amber would wear a dress. Whenever they went out somewhere, she wore a dress. She'd probably buy a new one, which always puzzled him because she looked lovely in all her old dresses, but he'd learned it was best not to argue about clothes with Amber. Regardless, he already knew it was completely safe. Amber was a dress and heels kind of girl, which would be perfect for where they were going.

"Alfie," Amber moaned. "I need specifics. I need to know exactly what is required of me."

"What is required is that you look nice, and you manage that every day anyway. Don't worry. Just wear what you want to."

"Well obviously I look nice every day," Amber huffed impatiently. "What are you wearing?"

"Not telling you," Alfie grinned.

They reached their next classroom and Alfie took advantage of their arrival and hurried away to sit next to Jerome. Amber glared at him and flounced over to the table behind them where Nina sat looking very amused.

"Alfie won't tell me what to wear for our Valentine's Day date," Amber said loudly, and Alfie rolled his eyes while Jerome laughed.

"Is it meant to be a surprise?" Nina asked.

"Yes, thank you Nina," Alfie said, turning round to smile at her and then smile smugly at Amber.

"I don't like surprises."

"Amber," Nina chucked. "Everyone loves surprises. It'll be cute. Just wear whatever you want."

"Can I date Nina instead?" said Alfie, raising his voice so Amber could hear.

"Not funny," Amber said stonily, scrunching up some paper and throwing it at his head.

Alfie turned round and winked at her, then focused his attention on the lesson that was about to begin. Jerome and Nina were laughing quietly and Amber spent the rest of the lesson with narrowed eyes.

\/\O~O/\/

"So where are you taking her?" Jerome asked, bouncing a ball against the wall.

He was sat on his bed, bored out of his brain, while Alfie typed up his homework.

"Fancy restaurant," Alfie grinned.

"How fancy?"

"Had to book it three months ago."

"Wow, you were sure of yourself," laughed Jerome.

"Amber's always said she wanted to go there. My dad said he'd give me some money. He thinks Amber's well out of my league-"

"-which she is-"

"-so thinks I should enjoy it while it lasts."

"You definitely should," Jerome said, forgetting to catch the ball and receiving it to the face instead.

Alfie snorted.

"Karma, gets you every time," he sighed.

"Shut up. So you're not telling her?" Jerome clarified, resuming his game.

"Nope. She'll wear a nice dress anyway, even if I tell her we're going for a burger."

"Good point," said Jerome, throwing the ball particularly hard against the wall.

They heard a door slam and Jerome looked at Alfie in fear. Two seconds later, their door was thrown open and Fabian appeared in the doorway looking angry.

"Can you please, please stop that," he hissed.

"Sorry," said Jerome, throwing the ball at Fabian instead.

He fumbled for it, caught it, dropped it, and finally picked it up and put it in his pocket.

"Oh come on," Jerome yelled as Fabian retreated back to his own room. "He's only moody because he has no plans for Valentine's Day and it's five days away."

Alfie looked up from his laptop, eyebrow raised.

"I thought you had no plans either. Didn't Mara turn you down?"

"Yes," Jerome said tightly. "Doesn't mean I have no plans though."

"Why, what are you doing?"

"Going paintballing."

"You're going paintballing?" Alfie asked dryly.

"Yeah, me and the rest of the guys from the swim team. We're skipping practice and going there instead."

"Won't it be dark?"

"Yes," Jerome grinned. "It'll be amazing."

"Well, you have fun with that," Alfie said, rolling his eyes and turning back to his work. "Loser."

\/\O~O/\/

"So, what are you going to wear?" Joy asked, rolling onto her front and looking up at Amber.

"Can you get your feet out of my face?" Patricia asked, batting Joy's fluorescent pink toes away.

"Sorry, but your bed has the best view of Amber's wardrobe."

"Okay firstly, Amber's bed has the best view, it's not my fault it's completely covered in clothes," Patricia sighed, glancing over at the mountain. "Also, a wardrobe is not a view. There's nothing to look at."

"There is when it's Amber's wardrobe," Joy said eagerly, and Amber giggled. "Right?"

Mara and Nina reluctantly nodded, demoted to Nina's bed. They could only see the clothes as they were being thrown onto the bed.

"It's pretty spectacular," said Mara.

Patricia scoffed and went back to her homework, trying to practically sit on her pillow to avoid Joy's waving legs.

"Back to business," Joy said pointedly, earning herself an eye roll from Patricia. "What are you wearing?"

"I don't know," sighed Amber, sinking back into her clothes pile dramatically. "That's why I've called you all in for an emergency meeting."

"I'd like to point out that I wasn't called in, I was just in my room and got ambushed."

"Oh shush Patricia, you're just annoyed you and Eddie aren't going out."

"I'm not annoyed."

"Your boyfriend went back to America to see his ex girlfriend for Valentine's Day, and you're totally cool with that?" asked Joy, not believing her for a second.

"She had a family emergency," Patricia mumbled.

"Can we focus on what is important here?" interrupted Amber. "Me."

Nina and Mara looked away, trying to hide their smiles.

"Where do you think he's taking you?" asked Mara, trying to be logical.

"It's Alfie," sighed Amber. "It could be anywhere."

"He hasn't given you any clues?" pressed Nina.

"Not a single one."

"But you can't pick an outfit until you know what you're dressing for," said Joy, sounding distressed.

"You see the problem," Amber nodded.

"You should try and find out."

"I have, but he won't tell me. He absolutely refuses to."

"Then you'll have to find out some other way," said Joy, a gleam in her eyes.

\/\O~O/\/

"Coast is clear!" Joy yelled.

Amber shot her a filthy look as she sauntered past.

"You would make a terrible spy," Mara conceded, following Amber into Jerome and Alfie's room.

"I think I'd make a great spy," said Joy, affronted.

"Just go," Nina laughed, ushering her into the boys' room.

Nina was stood by the door, ready to sound the alarm if anyone sounded like they were coming home. Patricia, highly annoyed that she'd been roped into this, was keeping watch by the front door, more for Victor than anyone else. It was lunchtime, and there was no way they were meant to be back at the house.

Inside the boys' room, the girls had needed a moment to adjust to the smell.

"Smells like something died," grimaced Mara.

"Died and went all soggy," moaned Joy. "It smells like damp. And mould. And just..."

She shuddered, unable to think of anything terrible enough to describe it.

"Focus," Amber hissed.

"Sorry," they chorused, looking guilty.

"Okay, we're looking for a clue. A ticket, a note, anything. Got it?"

Amber knew that sneaking round her boyfriend's room purely to ruin the surprised he had planned for her was a terrible thing to do, but a state of emergency had been declared. It was officially three days until Valentine's Day, and she needed to know what to wear. It was a need.

"Jackpot!" Joy called. "Calendar!"

The girls hurried over to the little stand on Alfie's bedside table. Flicking over to February fourteenth, Amber groaned. Alfie's writing read 'Take Amber', but the second part of the sentence had been scribbled out and replaced with 'to the vets'.

"Jerome," the three of them said venomously.

"Now you see why I said no," Mara sighed, rolling her eyes at his immature behaviour.

"Can anyone read what it says underneath?" Amber asked desperately.

Mara picked it up and studied the little sheet of paper intensely but it was no use. Jerome had used permanent marker, and the original words had been lost.

"Sorry Amber," Mara said, shaking her head.

"There must be something else."

"Er, Amber," Joy said nervously, lifting up what had been resting under the flip calendar.

"What?" she asked excitedly, wondering if Joy had finally found it.

Holding her hand out, Joy dropped the folded piece of paper onto it. Amber stretched it out and read what it said, and the girls watched her face fall.

"Guys!" Nina suddenly yelled from outside.

"Put them back!" Mara said, panicking that they might be about to get into serious trouble.

Slipping the paper back under the calendar, the girls bolted out of the room to where Nina was waiting. Patricia was beckoning them frantically.

"Victor's coming!"

"Will he see us?" asked Mara.

"If we keep standing in the hallway he will!" Nina grumbled, rounding everyone up and herding them into the living room.

Closing the doors as quietly as possible, they all prayed Victor would continue up to his office. When they heard footsteps on the stairs, there was a unanimous sigh of relief.

"Okay, let's go," Mara said, not wanting to take any more chances. "We're going to be late anyway."

Checking Victor was safely in his office, the girls snuck out of the house then bolted across to school, arriving pink-cheeked and breathless just as the bell rang.

"Hey Amber, what did the paper say?" Joy asked, nudging her as they filed into the classroom.

"I don't want to talk about it," Amber pouted.

The rest of the group looked at each other curiously, wondering what it could have been. Before they could ask her again though, they had to take their seats. The boys from Anubis House raised an eyebrow at the girls arriving in one group, clearly suspicious. The girls grinned at them in return.

\/\O~O/\/

"Happy Saturday," Trudy sang, as the residents of Anubis House trudged downstairs to breakfast.

Friday film night had accidentally on purpose continued until three in the morning in Fabian's room, and they were all still tired.

"Shh," Jerome said softly, eyes squinted at the daylight. "Too early."

"Jerome, it's twelve o'clock," Trudy scolded, hitting him with a teatowel.

"I'm going back to bed," Patricia grumbled, but abruptly turned round when Victor appeared in the doorway. "Or not."

"Two days until Valentine's Day," Trudy said excitedly, whizzing round with a plate of pancakes. "Have we all got dates? Victor, what are your plans?"

Victor's grunt in response was enough to make them all laugh, despite the fact that most of the people sat round the table were miserably single.

"Romantic meal for two?" Alfie suggested under his breath. "Maybe one. I don't think stuffed birds eat."

Mara and Nina both giggled, having caught what he'd said, and Victor glared at the trio.

"I have no plans," he said gruffly, abandoning whatever he'd been about to do and storming back up to his office.

"Well then, what are we all doing?" Trudy asked.

Everyone looked up at her, resigned expressions on their faces. Mara had refused Jerome. Nina and Fabian had spent too long dancing around one another and hadn't gotten it together in time to actually admit they liked the other. Patricia was secretly pining for Eddie, as much as she tried not to show it. Joy had all but given up on Fabian.

Only Amber and Alfie actually had plans.

"It's a surprise," Alfie winked at Trudy.

"Ooh Amber, I'm sure you can't wait," Trudy grinned. Her little munchkins were blossoming.

"Nope," said Amber sharply, slamming her orange juice on the table with force.

Everyone exchanged nervous glances.

"Would you like... a napkin?" asked Trudy, motioning to the juice that had slopped all over the table.

"Actually, I'm not that hungry," said Amber, pushing her chair back from the table and resolutely refusing to make eye contact with Alfie. "See you guys later."

She left the dining room in a hurry and everyone sat there, stunned.

"What have I done?" asked Alfie. "I know she doesn't like surprises, but..."

He trailed off, looking to the girls for answers. They all shrugged. Whatever was on that piece of paper was what was bothering Amber, but admitting to that meant admitting to snooping in the boys' room, which no one was willing to do.

\/\O~O/\/

"Funny story," Jerome began.

"Leave it out," Fabian said, knowing what was coming.

"So, a guy books a fancy restaurant for his girlfriend, way in advance of Valentine's Day, but then manages to fall out with her two days before they're meant to go."

Jerome cracked up laughing, and Fabian frowned at him disapprovingly.

"I don't know what I've done," said Alfie helplessly. "And I don't how to fix it. Yesterday I went up and said I'd tell her where we were going, because I thought maybe she was just angry over not knowing what to wear, but she wouldn't speak to me. And she hasn't spoken to me today either."

"Girls," Fabian shrugged. "Forever a mystery."

"Oh inexperienced ones," said Jerome grandly, but earned himself a death glare from both Fabian and Alfie.

"In case you hadn't noticed, you still have the least chance of any of us of getting a girlfriend," snapped Alfie.

Jerome went to protest but realised he was right and deflated.

"So what shall I do? Still take her out?"

"Of course," Fabian laughed. "If she's angry at you now, imagine how angry she'd be if you just ditched her on Valentine's Day."

"What if I get all dressed up and she just doesn't care?" Alfie asked, worried.

"She'll care," Fabian nodded. "Trust me."

\/\O~O/\/

It was seven in the evening on Valentine's Day. Alfie was nervously waiting in the hallway, unsure of whether Amber was even going to walk down the stairs.

"Good luck buddy," Jerome grinned, walking out of their room in full camouflage gear.

"You look completely ridiculous," replied Alfie.

"Your girlfriend likes the look though."

They both glanced up to the stairs where Amber was trudging down in camo pants, a simple white vest top, and a grey hoodie. Her hair was scraped into a messy bun, but not the type that took hours to perfect. She'd clearly just pulled it away from her face and tied a hairband in it.

Jerome gave her a thumbs up before hurrying out of the door. Amber barely noticed though, standing in shock on the last step. Alfie stared back at her, same expression on his face.

"Alfie, you look amazing," Amber said, her face confused.

He was wearing a full suit, with a purple shirt and one of Fabian's skinny ties. Fabian had insisted.

"You look..." he began, unsure of what to say. "Erm, why are you dressed like that?"

"We're going paintballing, right?" said Amber.

"No," Alfie laughed. "Why would I ever take you paintballing? That'd be your worst nightmare."

"But, but I saw the booking!" Amber protested, starting to realise her horrible mistake.

"What? What booking?" Alfie asked.

"I may have snuck into your room and found a sheet of paper with paintballing details on for tonight," she said very quickly, hoping Alfie wouldn't question it.

"You went into my room?" he cried.

No such luck.

"I just wanted to know what we were doing!" Amber moaned. "What are we doing? Why do you look so nice?"

"We're going to Francesco's," said Alfie, shaking his head. "Or at least, we will be if we leave right now."

"Oh my god," said Amber, paling. "I have made a huge mistake. Who's gone paintballing?"

"Jerome!" Alfie said. "Him and the rest of his single friends. Amber come on, we need to go. The table's booked for half past."

"Alfie, I can't go like this!" Amber yelled.

Mara, Nina, Joy and Patricia all flew out onto the landing, wondering what on earth was going on. They took one look at Alfie, glanced at Amber and realised something was wrong. Trying hard not to laugh, the four of them ran back into Amber's room, raided her wardrobe and appeared again in thirty seconds.

"We'll be a minute, tops," Nina told Alfie, pulling Amber into the cloakroom.

"We don't have a minute," Alfie said helplessly, but he was too late.

Inside the cloakroom, the girls started attacking Amber. Even Patricia joined in with the hair, much to everyone's surprise. Fifty seconds later they shoved Amber out into the hall, scaring Alfie half to death.

"Much better," he grinned.

Amber rolled her eyes. She'd always hated this pink dress, and these shoes really didn't go all that well, she had a much more suitable pair upstairs, and usually she didn't like her hair clipped up to the side. She had made a complete mess of this whole thing though, so she wasn't about to start complaining. Alfie thought she looked nice, and that was all that mattered.

They'd just started out the steps, to the impatiently beeping taxi, when Amber stopped suddenly.

"I've left your present upstairs!" she said, horrified. "I didn't want to bring it when I thought we were... you know..."

"Paintballing," said Alfie, rolling his eyes. "Doesn't matter, you can give it to me later. I'm not losing this table reservation!"

The two of them hurried over to the taxi, diving in and telling him to put his foot on the pedal. Zooming off, the four remaining girls watched them leave, joined by Fabian and Trudy.

"What the hell happened?" Fabian asked.

"Amber saw Jerome's paintballing details," Mara laughed, having been filled in while they were giving her the makeover of her life. "And assumed her and Alfie were going paintballing."

"Meanwhile, Alfie had booked a lovely restaurant and even put a suit on," Joy continued.

"Serious case of crossed wires," Nina finished, shaking her head.

"Pretty funny though," Patricia laughed.

"Not a Valentine's Day they'll forget in a hurry I suspect," chuckled Trudy. "Now come on, I've ordered pizza."

As the five of them cheered, Alfie turned to Amber in the taxi.

"You're meant to be the smart one," he teased.

"I'm really sorry," Amber said quietly.

"Don't be silly. Happy Valentine's Day."

They pulled up outside the restaurant and Amber grinned at him. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then led her inside, beaming and feeling like the luckiest man in the building.

* * *

**A/N: Don't hate me for this, but I don't ship Amfie. At all. I know a lot of people do though, so I tried to do them justice. Think I got away with it... ****I hope you enjoyed this fic! Can't find your favourite couple? Wish you could see a continuation? Hit review and I'll see what I can do. Happy Valentine's Day!**


	3. Jerome and Mara

Boring Is What We Do Best

"Someone's loved," Jennifer said, only a touch of bitterness in her voice, as she walked past.

"I know," Mara grinned, trying to play it cool but failing miserably.

"Never liked roses myself," Jennifer called.

Mara rolled her eyes. She loved Jennifer, but as a work colleague only. In the office, she was brilliant. Almost as ambitious as Mara herself, she powered through everything and was one of life's overachievers. Mara liked her because she presented a challenge, and Mara had always enjoyed challenges. Jennifer was also lovely to wind down with after work, a drink in one hand and her phone in the other, the two of them multi-tasking in a bar somewhere.

When it came to personal life though, Jennifer was useless. Permanently single and crying every other day over failed one night stands and affairs with married men, Mara had learned it was best to stay out of her way. Especially when, as a happily married woman with two gorgeous children, Mara was everything Jennifer wanted but wouldn't admit to. Instead, she made snarky comments, which Mara brushed off.

Right now, she knew which position she'd rather be in.

Her desk was covered in presents. She barely had enough room for her laptop. Nearly every moment of the morning so far had involved Mara receiving something new from another delivery man. A huge box of chocolates, a card with the sweetest words, a dozen red roses; Jerome had done things properly.

Glancing down at the photo propped up on her desk, Mara smiled sadly.

This was the first Valentine's Day they'd spent apart since they were nineteen. Ten years, one marriage, two children later, they were still madly in love, and truth be told, she was quite upset she couldn't be at home right now.

The problem with being a workaholic was that Mara could never say no. Promotion after promotion had allowed her to buy a nice house, nice cars, nice furniture. Life was good. The best part was that it allowed Jerome to start his own business from scratch, and despite the ups and downs, they always had enough money to keep going. They'd both known it would be a risky venture, but he'd been talking about it for six years before she finally sat him down and told him to just go for it. To quit his job and just try something new.

They'd been terrified of course. Their income had halved overnight, and by this point, they had one kid and Mara was a few months pregnant with the next. Seeing Jerome genuinely happy though was something Mara wouldn't let go of now. So she'd carried on working, only taking a few months off when she finally accepted that as her due date was in one week, carrying on working would be near on ridiculous. She'd already been demoted to desk work for two months previous to that, and her boss had finally put his foot down, much to Jerome's relief.

Jerome was still working from home at this point, so Mara had been able to go back to work as soon as she could, and it hadn't been long after that she'd been promoted again. It came with a catch though - the headquarters of her firm was based in Paris, and suddenly she found herself flying to France a couple of times a year.

At first it was a few days at a time, twice a year at most. Then it had increased to a week here and there. Currently, she was spending the whole of February in Paris.

She'd grown to love the city dearly, but it didn't compare to home. With school and Jerome's work, her family coming to see her was nearly impossible, and she couldn't just up and leave whenever she got homesick. Jerome had been fine with it all, his unwavering support astounding her at times. Even when she had meltdowns at two in the morning and called him without thinking, he just listened to her, calming her down and never saying a word.

And today, Valentine's Day, he'd yet again proven just how wonderful he was.

"There's another delivery man," Jennifer said pointedly, walking past Mara's desk again. "Wonder who it's for this time."

Mara smiled again. She felt like a teenager, getting all these gifts. She would, of course, scold Jerome tonight. Here she was trying to impress the owners of the company and her desk looked like something from a window display in a card shop. She'd sent him a card and the promise of a fancy meal out the moment she got back to England, but he'd well and truly outdone her.

Standing up, trying to be subtle, Mara hurried over to the door. A man was stood there, barely able to see over the pink and white flowers he held in one hand, and the parcel he held in another.

"Mara Clarke?" he asked.

"That's me," Mara laughed, never tiring of hearing that name.

"Have a nice day now," he said kindly, handing the latest set of gifts over.

"Thank you," Mara said sweetly, practically skipping back to her desk.

"Christ Mara, I'm going to start turning them away," Jennifer grumbled, waiting at her desk to see what she'd received this time.

Mara giggled and set the second bouquet of flowers down next to the first, making a mental note to get them some water. She was more interested in the parcel though. She wasn't sure why Jerome would have sent her a present, because they'd agreed to do Valentine's Day again, when she got back home in March. She was saving his present for then.

Unwrapping the brown paper, she found a pretty box inside.

"Looks expensive," Jennifer said, more interested now.

Mara opened it up and found a silver bracelet inside. Attached to it were three charms - a tiny Eiffel Tower, a matching Big Ben, and a heart in between the two.

"Wow," Mara whispered, holding it in her hand and looking at it in awe.

"That's quite nice," Jennifer said suspiciously. She wanted to know what the catch was. Men weren't that good.

"It's beautiful," Mara said, smiling again. Her cheeks were starting to ache from the permanent grin she had on her face today.

"He's a keeper," Jennifer remarked.

"Thanks," Mara nodded, rolling her eyes again. She was pretty sure that ten years down the line, she would've realised by now if Jerome wasn't in it for the long haul.

"Can't believe you're spending Valentine's Day at this little desk when someone like that is back home," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "Don't know what you've got."

Mara went to make some witty retort about how she knew exactly how lucky she was, thank you very much, but then realised Jennifer was right.

What was she doing here?

She was alone, in the city of love, while the man of her dreams was a few hours away by plane. What was she still doing here?

"I'm going to see him," Mara said breathlessly, the plan forming in her mind before she'd even considered it properly.

"Not until March the third," Jennifer reminded her.

"No, right now. I'm going home right now," Mara said, nervous laughter escaping from her lips as she fastened the bracelet on and started shutting her laptop down.

"Mara, we're at work," Jennifer said, an eyebrow raised.

This was not the Mara she knew. Mara was the most uptight woman, second only to herself. Her priority in life was work and making a good impression. Anything that might jeopardise her job simply wasn't worth it. And now she was planning on just walking right out and flying home.

"They owe me a holiday," Mara said determinedly, picking her stuff up and making her way to her boss' office.

"You are crazy," Jennifer said, slightly awed as she kept pace behind her, desperate to know what was going to happen next.

"Yes, yes I am," Mara laughed.

She knocked on the office door and waited, suddenly nervous. What was she doing exactly? Mara was not spontaneous. This was not how she worked. Organisation was her favourite thing in the world. Plans were the only way to survive in life. Dropping everything and running home was the least Mara-like thing she'd ever done.

It felt good.

It was fun.

"Yes?" her boss called expectantly.

"Hi," Mara said, smiling sweetly at him and entering his office.

Jennifer watched as the door closed behind her, beyond interested in what was going to happen. Her work for the morning had been completely abandoned. To be fair, it hadn't actually been started in the first place. The office had been pretty dead, most people having booked it off as a holiday, and the general atmosphere was quite relaxed.

The door opened again and Jennifer looked at Mara expectantly.

"See you in two days!" Mara laughed wildly, racing out of the door and hopping into the first taxi she found.

Within ten minutes she was back at her hotel. Instructing the driver to wait for her and leave the meter running, she raced up to her room, dumped her work stuff down and hurried back again. She didn't have time to pack. She would buy anything she needed back home, and her house held more than enough of her stuff to last her a day or so.

"To the airport please," she said, sliding back into the taxi out of breath.

It was already midday, but if she hurried, she was fairly certain she could get a flight before one. She could be home by three in the afternoon, and then she'd get chance to see her children before taking Jerome out for that promised meal. He was going to be so surprised. She couldn't wait to see his face.

By half twelve, Mara was sat in the window seat of a plane headed to London, a grin still on her face.

\/\O~O/\/

"Daddy! Daddy!"

"Two seconds darling," Jerome called distractedly.

"Daddy!"

She was screaming. Jerome knew when to accept defeat. Closing his laptop, Jerome knew he probably wouldn't open it again until at least ten o'clock this evening.

"What's up trouble?" Jerome asked, striding into his daughter's room to see what all the fuss was about.

"Can I take my blue dress and my pink dress?" Penny asked, smiling up at him innocently.

"You're going to your grandad's for one night," Jerome said, examining the mess in her room. "You don't need two dresses. Pick one."

"But I like them both," she said sadly, and Jerome could already see the tears in her eyes.

"I like them both too," said Summer, popping up from amongst her sister's teddies.

"Can you not do that?" Jerome said, a hand to his heart.

His two daughters gazed up at him, and he could feel his resolve wavering. These girls would be the death of him. Where was their mother when he needed her? Mara had the ability to switch on the strict parent routine in an instant. The girls had Jerome twisted round their little fingers though, and to make matters worse, they were fully aware of that.

For a seven and a four year old, they were damn smart.

Took after their mother, which Jerome was highly relieved about, both in intelligence and appearance. Olive skinned, thick dark hair, incredibly bright. They were miniature versions of Mara but for the fact that Penelope had his gangly legs and Summer had his blue eyes.

"Sorry Daddy," Summer smiled, sitting patiently on Penny's bed to see what he would decide.

Jerome had known it would be a mistake to let the girls pack their own suitcase for tonight. He'd still let them though, highly foolishly. He didn't even want them to go anymore, rather selfishly. When he'd asked his father to have the girls for the night, it had been months ago, when they'd both assumed Mara would be in the country for Valentine's Day and Jerome was going to whisk her away to a fancy restaurant.

By the time Mara found out she was going to Paris though, the girls were far too excited about their sleepover at their grandfather's. It had been very last minute, and Jerome didn't have the heart to tell the girls they no longer needed to spend the night away. After double checking with his dad that it would still be okay, which he'd readily assured him it was, Jerome had been forced to accept that for the first time, he'd be spending Valentine's Day without any of his girls.

"Okay," Jerome said, needing to decide on the situation before he crumbled. "Let's make a deal."

"Mummy said we make too many deals," Penny declared. "She says that you need to be more firm with us and not give us anything in return."

"When on earth did you hear that?" asked Jerome, blinking at his daughter. She was the smartest seven year old on the planet.

"The other night. She was telling you off in the kitchen."

"That was at eleven at night! You should have been in bed!"

Penny's eyes widened. She'd been found out. Summer giggled at her sister, and Penny glared at her.

"Right, here's the deal then," Jerome smirked. "You choose one dress or I tell Mummy that you were up way past your bedtime."

"Fine," Penny sighed eventually, putting the pink dress back on her bed and folding the blue one up.

"You can wear the pink one at Summer's birthday," Jerome reassured her, not needing tears. "And you need to put all of your clothes back in your wardrobe once you're done."

"Fine."

"Don't take that tone with me."

"Sorry," Penny grumbled, in exactly the same tone.

Jerome was dreading the teenage years.

"Come on Summer, let's go and pack your bag," Jerome said.

"Can I take two dresses?" she asked eagerly.

"No," Jerome laughed. "And don't try and sneak the other dress in Penelope. I'm going to check your suitcase."

He heard a huff as he left her room and entered Summer's. He planned to leave Penny well alone for a good while. She'd inherited her mother's short temper too, and he prayed Summer stayed far more relaxed than her sister.

"Right then," Jerome said, opening Summer's wardrobe. "What are you taking young lady?"

Two hours later and Summer was shrieking that her grandad had arrived. With barely a kiss goodbye, the girls had raced outside to him, abandoning their suitcases in the hallway. Picking them up, Jerome had followed them outside, handing them over to his dad.

"Don't spoil them too much," Jerome pleaded, as his father checked the girls had their belts on.

"Not promising anything," his dad laughed, hopping into the driver's seat and leaving Jerome on the driveway waving.

Wandering back into the house, Jerome frowned. It felt horribly empty and quiet. He glanced over at Mara's Valentine's card, now sitting on the mantelpiece. It made him sad that it was there by itself, but she'd called him this morning the moment his had arrived in Paris, so he knew his was up somewhere. Probably at her desk. That woman spent too much time working. He knew her reasons for it though, and loved her all the more because of it.

Ten years and he still felt the same way he had when they'd first started dating properly. It had been the summer of their first year of university. Mara had been at his house with her parents, at the Clarke annual summer party, and they'd found themselves sat on the swing at the bottom of the garden. Everything that had happened in school suddenly seemed so petty, and they'd decided to start afresh.

He glanced over at the fireplace, where the candid photo of them on that swing still sat. Neither was looking at the camera, instead at each other. Jerome had never smiled much before that day; since that day, he'd barely stopped.

Pausing, Jerome wondered what he was doing. It was Valentine's Day and he was in his home all by himself. His plans for the evening involved work and an early night. It was pathetic.

Glancing at the clock, a rush of adrenaline suddenly surged over him.

He was going to see Mara.

The plane only took a few hours at most. If he left now, he'd be in Paris by four. He could wait for Mara at her hotel, surprise her with dinner. He was sure his father wouldn't mind having the kids until after lunchtime.

Yes, this was perfect. He wondered how he hadn't thought to do it before. The charm bracelet would look silly next to this. Just thinking of seeing her smile made him do the same. Taking his stairs two at a time, Jerome threw some smart clothes and a toothbrush into an overnight bag, called a taxi for the airport and was out of the house fifteen minutes later.

Leaning against his seat, Jerome looked out of the plane window at the ocean. This would be the best Valentine's Day surprise ever. Mara was never spontaneous, so she'd never see this coming. Paris was drawing closer, and Jerome grinned.

\/\O~O/\/

Mara smiled happily to herself as the taxi pulled into her road. She was still a little bit in shock. She'd lied to her boss, telling him she had a family emergency, she'd skipped out on work and hadn't even brought any home with her, and she'd flown to another country without a second thought. Mara didn't know what had come over her, but she quite liked it.

"Here we are," the taxi driver said.

"Thank you," Mara said excitedly, stuffing a couple of notes into his very eager hand and hopping out of the car.

The house didn't look very alive but it didn't worry her too much. The girls were probably just cuddled up watching a film in Penny's bed, and she imagined Jerome was working. He'd have no idea.

Fishing out her key from her handbag, she opened the door as quietly as possible. Not bothering to lock up, she dumped her stuff on the floor and raced through the living room into the study. When she found it empty, she hurried upstairs, throwing open her daughter's door, wondering if Jerome was with the girls instead.

When no one was there, Mara started to get a little worried. Going across to Summer's door, she found her room was empty too, and as she now expected, hers and Jerome's room was also vacant. She felt sick all of a sudden, concerned something might have happened. There was no reason for no one to be here.

Running back downstairs, trying not to panic, Mara went into the kitchen, not knowing what to do, ready to pick up the phone. As she passed the fridge though, she spotted a note attached to it, and read Jerome's scrawled reminder to himself to call his father.

Mara nearly collapsed with relief. The girls were at his dad's, of course. She'd completely forgotten. Panic over, she picked up the house phone. Now she knew her daughters were safe, she just wanted to find Jerome. He'd probably gone to the shop or something. Trust him to ruin a surprise.

"Finally," she laughed, after he picked up on the eleventh ring.

"Mara," Jerome said, with some surprise. "Everything okay?"

"It will be soon. Where are you?" she laughed.

"Er, just at the home with the kids," he said, sounding shifty.

"Oh really?" she asked, frowning.

"Yeah, just watching a film. Pretty relaxed."

"And whose room are you watching the film in?"

"We're all in the living room," said Jerome airily. "Obviously."

"Not that obvious," said Mara, unable to stop herself laughing now. "I'm in our living room right now, and it looks pretty empty. Where are you really?"

Jerome went silent for a long, long time.

"Hello?" Mara said eventually, wondering if they'd been cut off.

"Did you just say you were in our living room?" he asked fearfully. "As in, our house? In London? You're in London?"

"Yes!" Mara squealed. "Surprise! Where are you?"

"Well, I have a surprise too," Jerome said, laughing nervously.

"What?" Mara asked excitedly. "Jerome, where are you? Come home!"

"Not that easy," Jerome sighed. "I'm in Paris."

\/\O~O/\/

When Jerome finally let himself back into his house, it was ten in the evening. Catching the flight back to London hadn't been as easy as the flight to Paris. He hadn't even left the airport. He'd gone straight from the arrivals gate to the ticket desks. To say they'd looked surprised was an understatement.

The flight had seemed endless.

At first Mara had been stunned, and then started laughing uncontrollably. For a good five minutes the two of them just laughed on the phone to each other.

"We are idiots," Jerome had finally sighed.

"Tell me about it," Mara had said. "I'm never being spontaneous again."

"Same."

They'd eventually decided it would be easier if Jerome came back to England. Mara wanted to stay in London until the morning to see the girls, and then she'd get a flight back to Paris that afternoon, ready to go back to work the next morning.

As Jerome crept into their living room, he found Mara fast asleep on the sofa.

Taking a moment to just watch her, he smiled. He'd missed her. It had only been a few weeks and he was indescribably happy to see her.

"Hey," he said, wandering over and nudging her.

She blinked and then smiled sleepily.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Jerome laughed, sitting next to her on the sofa. Mara moved up so she could lean against him, his arm around her shoulders.

"Most disastrous Valentine's Day ever," she sighed, looking up at him.

He leaned down and kissed her softly, feeling her grin again.

"Could've been better," Jerome conceded. "I mean, the thought was there at least."

"Right," Mara nodded. "Thank you for the bracelet by the way. And the flowers, both sets, and the chocolates and... everything."

"Glad you liked them," Jerome laughed. "I wanted to take you to dinner in Paris. Find somewhere we could see the Eiffel Tower. Drink champagne. Eat nice food. Spend the night in your fancy hotel."

"I wanted to take you to dinner in the city," Mara laughed. "Find somewhere we could see the river. Drink champagne. Eat nice food. Spend the night in my own bed."

"Guess we're still waiting until March after all," Jerome sighed.

"I don't mind too much," Mara said happily, snuggling against him. "I'm here, with you, on Valentine's Day. It's all I really wanted."

"Same," Jerome said, feeling content. "Next time we want to surprise each other though, we should definitely co-ordinate."

"Definitely," Mara giggled. "Boring is what we do best."

Jerome smiled lazily and looked down at her again.

"I love you."

"Love you too. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day."

* * *

**A/N: I absolutely adored writing this fic. Didn't realise I loved writing Jara quite this much. I'll definitely be writing more for them again soon! Fingers crossed you liked Penny and Summer too, I do! ****I hope you enjoyed this fic! Can't find your favourite couple? Wish you could see a continuation? Hit review and I'll see what I can do. Happy Valentine's Day!**


	4. Mick and Amber

Flying Solo

Amber pressed two fingers to her forehead, slowly massaging her aching head. She didn't enjoy air travel at the best of times, and hearing that her connecting plane had been delayed after a fourteen hour journey from Melbourne to Dubai was the last thing she needed.

Her two hour stopover in Dubai had been extended 'indefinitely', as the snotty woman at the airport had informed her, which meant she was in limbo until they fixed whatever was wrong with the plane.

All she wanted was to go home now. It had been a while since she'd stepped foot in England. For the last six months, she hadn't even found a spare weekend to jet across the ocean; opening a new store in Los Angeles had taken longer than she'd expected, much harder than the New York opening, and the moment she'd been happy that she could finally leave it alone for a while, it had been straight into the run up to awards season. Dressing celebrities was hard enough at the best of times, but she'd had to cram everyone in before her month long business trip to Australia. Though she'd sadly turned down at least half of her regular clients, there were still a fair number of dresses to design and create, and she hadn't even been able to sort out the fittings. Her trusty assistants had been left with that job, as she'd flown over to Sydney.

Once there she'd been in meetings nearly every other day, trying to organise collaborations with some of Australia's up and coming designers, determining whether it would be feasible to extend her chain of stores out here too. Britain, America... why not Australia? She figured it would be helpful to crack another country before attempting the rest of Europe.

Eventually she'd managed to strike a suitable deal - she would return to Australia within the next year for an extended stay this time, helping set up her first store in Sydney, with the possibility of expanding south depending on the success of Sydney's shop, and then more long-term plans of branching out further north as well, and potentially in Western Australia. She'd travelled down to Melbourne this same trip, just to meet with a couple of contacts there too, and it was from there she'd hopped on a plane home.

It made her head hurt just thinking about it all, but she could never stop. As much as she loved this business, it was hard work, and modesty aside, she already knew her stores would be big. Amber Millington was _the _name in fashion right now. She'd be spending a year down under before she knew it, which presented a problem in the form of her ever growing client list back home in America.

She could put that all behind her for now though. She was taking a two week break, her first holiday in the last three years, and going back to England to see her family. She couldn't wait. Though her parents had tried to visit whenever they could, her schedule was usually too busy to do everything she wanted to with them. She knew they were proud of her though, which made her heart swell. Her father was proud of her.

She'd slogged it out at fashion school for two years, then spent another two just trying to get enough work experience to her name to be hired by someone. It had taken another year to start getting her name recognised, which she appreciated was a complete stroke of luck after the designer she'd been working with had fallen ill and had handed the reins over to Amber for a couple of dresses. That had been the catalyst for the next three years, and suddenly Amber was a star. Despite her current situation, Amber smiled. Whenever she thought back to how far she'd come, she smiled.

For the first time, Amber was proud of herself. At the grand old age of twenty five, she'd finally learned that the only person she really needed to impress was herself, and she'd done just that.

Now was not a time to be basking in glory though. She was stuck in Dubai airport, a horrendously gaudy and lavish place, only worsening her headache, unsure yet of whether she'd even board a plane today. The attached hotel looked nice, but she couldn't be bothered with trying to organise a last minute room. She just wanted to be home now.

Picking up her hand luggage, Amber stood up. She couldn't stay in these horrible metal seats much longer, and resolved herself to finding somewhere that might serve a nice coffee. Around her, the shops and various food places were strewn with pink and red lovehearts, and she rolled her eyes.

She'd forgotten it was Valentine's Day. Traversing several time zones made her forget her name at times. The date was a lost cause. So, she was spending Valentine's Day alone and stuck in an airport. She supposed it beat the last few years of ordering takeout pizza to her apartment and watching movie channels until she fell asleep.

When she'd first moved out to America she'd found a nice guy, or so she'd thought. At seventeen, she hadn't really known the first thing about the world. For the next four years they'd dated on and off, until Amber finally decided her career had to come first and ended things with him for a final time. Since, she'd had a few flings, but she was too busy to sleep some days - holding down a relationship verged on impossible. She knew it would settle down soon, and then maybe she could, but right now love could wait.

Spotting an actual cafe, with seats and tables, Amber hurried over. There were very few tables left; in fact, as she glanced round, there were none. There were, however, many tables only occupied by one person, so she figured she could just share a table. A lot of them were probably like her - too weary from their travelling to care about anything. The only thing Amber cared about right now was coffee. Her hair was pinned up and away from her face, tousled from where she'd been leaning on it during her flight. The minimal make up she'd put on at the beginning of the day had all but worn off, and she couldn't find the energy to fix any of it.

As she ordered a cappuccino, Amber surveyed the cafe for prospective table-sharers. In the far corner, three tables sat in a row. At one sat a woman sobbing into a mobile phone, at another was a rather round official looking man tucking into a sandwich of which half was down his tie, and at the last one, an unassuming blonde man was reading a magazine. What a difficult choice.

Amber hurried over to the final table before anyone else could get there.

"Can I sit here?" she asked, barely waiting for a response before plonking herself down on the seat.

"Yeah, no worries," the man said, an Australian twang to his voice. Amber's stomach did a little flip. She'd met quite a few surfer boys over the last month and she'd taken quite a liking to them.

"Thanks," she said, glancing up at him properly for the first time. Her jaw dropped.

"Mick?" she asked, her eyes wide.

Immediately the man put his magazine down and looked up in fear at this strange woman who knew his name. Recognition crossed his face almost immediately, and he grinned.

"Amber! What the... how did this happen?"

"This is so strange," Amber giggled over her cup of coffee.

They had an awkward hug over the table and then surveyed the other.

She studied the boy she'd planned to marry once upon a time. Various notebooks of hers contained their names within lovehearts, something which now made her blush a little bit. Mick smiled at her again, and Amber blinked. Mick was handsome. There were no two ways about it. He still had his trademark blonde hair, but it was shorter now, and he'd bulked up. He looked every part the athlete he was, but it was his face that had changed the most. He looked older, which she supposed shouldn't have surprised her, but it did. On the odd occasion her mind drifted back to her schoolmates, Mick's face never changed, but her daydreams were wrong. He'd changed significantly, for the better.

"So, where are you headed?" Mick asked, admiring her back.

He couldn't remember ever seeing Amber without a full face of makeup and immaculately curled hair falling over her shoulders, but the woman in front of him was a natural beauty, fresh faced with just a little hint of stress in her eyes. He'd often wondered what she would look like dressed down, but the Amber he knew from school would probably hit him if he dared ask, so he never had. She was beautiful though, despite her tiredness.

"Back to England," Amber said slowly.

"Oh right, yeah," Mick said, shaking his head and laughing. "Sorry, stupid question. So, how've you been? It's been years."

"I've been really great," said Amber warmly, smiling at him. "What about you?"

"Same," Mick nodded. "Life's good. So good. Where have you come from then?"

"Australia, actually," Amber nodded. "Melbourne?"

"We must have been on the same flight or something," Mick laughed. "I've flown in from Melbourne too."

"No way, are we on the same flight for the next leg?"

The pair of them got their tickets out and compared with the other, amused to find that they were indeed sharing a plane journey all the way home too.

"Small world, huh?" Mick nodded.

"Definitely," Amber agreed. "So what-"

"This is a passenger announcement for flight LN349," a voice suddenly called over the tannoy, interrupting Amber. The two of them looked at one another, realising this was their flight. "Departure has been delayed by three hours. The plane will now depart three hours after the scheduled time."

Amber groaned and rested her head on her hand.

"Hey, it's only another two hours, we've already been here for one," said Mick, trying to sound cheerful but his face looking otherwise.

"I just want to go home," laughed Amber half-heartedly. "I'm tired, I want a shower, I look a complete mess."

"I think you look nice," said Mick, shrugging when she looked at him in shock.

"I looked nice a million hours ago," sighed Amber.

"You look fine," he reassured her.

"I guess I look pretty different to how I used to?" Amber smiled.

She'd soon learned that in this industry, the heavy make-up was best left to the models. Fresh-faced was the better approach, and after a few weeks, Amber had realised she loved it. All she had to do in the morning was moisturise, brighten up her eyes and go. A touch of mascara and blush and she was ready for business. She found she had time for breakfast, sometimes calling her mum, even doing work occasionally.

"It's a good different," Mick laughed. "Trust me. I used to think you were the prettiest girl in school, but now... I mean wow."

Amber blushed and Mick suddenly realised what he'd said.

"Sorry, that sounded really intense for someone who hasn't seen you in years. Ignore me."

"No, it's fine, I mean, thank you," Amber said hastily. "You haven't exactly fared badly yourself. I take it you're still doing sports?"

She motioned to his exceptionally broad shoulders and he grinned.

"Aussie rules," Mick nodded enthusiastically. "Introduced to it when I first moved over and I never looked back."

"That's... er, what's Aussie rules?" Amber asked, puzzled.

"Oh, it's a sport," Mick laughed. "It's football, but not like our football. More like the American football I think, but then I don't know if you're up to date on your American stuff?"

"Just a little bit," Amber laughed. "I live there now."

"You moved to America?" Mick asked, surprised. "With your family?"

"Nope, all by myself," Amber said proudly, and Mick finally realised what had changed about Amber.

Her appearance, her attitude, it was all because she was suddenly so confident. The insecure girl at school who hid behind her hair and her boyfriends was gone. Amber had transformed into a woman who was completely sure of herself.

He had to admit, it was pretty attractive.

"So what do you do?" Mick asked.

"I'm a fashion designer," Amber said, trying not to gush about it. She knew she had a terrible habit of going on and on about it whenever anyone asked. "I have a few stores, some regular clients. That was why I was in Australia, I'm opening a new store in Sydney."

"That's really cool," Mick said, telling the absolute truth. If he was being honest, he'd always assumed Amber would grow up on her dad's money and end up just lounging around, frittering it away. He was pleased she'd done something with all the talent she had.

"What about you? Is this football thing your full time job?"

"Yeah," Mick grinned. "Somehow I managed to get away with that one. I got scouted at university, and last year a big team signed me. Best day ever."

"Wow," Amber smiled. She was pleased Mick had achieved his dream of being a top sportsman.

"Guess we're both doing pretty well?" Mick said, and Amber nodded.

"Do you ever speak to anyone from school?" Amber asked after a while. She was always curious as to whether anyone had actually managed to stay in touch after all these years.

"Not really," shrugged Mick. "I kind of expected it though. I mean, I'd practically been forgotten before you guys even graduated."

"Same here. I left right at the beginning of final year. Sometimes I just wonder what everyone ended up doing. Like, I wonder what Alfie ended up doing. Who he ended up with. Sometimes I even dream of what could have happened if I'd stayed, and we'd carried on together."

"You and Alfie dated?" Mick asked, his eyes wide. "Did not see that one coming."

"Well no one saw you and Mara coming," Amber teased.

"Oh god, Mara," Mick laughed. "I haven't thought about her in years. We'd never have worked. She was far too ambitious to be dating someone who effectively has never grown up."

"I don't think Alfie would have been able to keep up with me," Amber said. "Not to mention that after so many years of being the most immature person in the world, he probably wouldn't have wanted to date someone who basically went back to playing dress up."

"Two big kids," joked Mick. "A girl playing with her dolls and a boy having a kick about with his friends."

"Pretty sweet though," Amber said, to which Mick heartily agreed.

A couple of tables away, the woman who had been crying earlier suddenly erupted into a fresh wave of tears, alarming the cafe waiters and anyone nearby. The man next to her squeezed his sandwich in fright and watched sadly as all of his mayonnaise fell to the table.

Amber turned at first but then had to look away, giggling uncontrollably. Mick tried to keep a straight face but soon had his head down, shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Someone hurried over to the woman to see what was wrong, which set Mick off again. He physically had to clamp his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Amber tried to breathe, but ended up snorting with laughter, which set the pair off on another round.

"Stop, please stop," Amber gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. They were both trying to be quiet still, as the entire cafe watched the woman start sobbing into the poor waitress.

"I can't," said Mick, struggling to draw breath.

"What do you think happened?" Amber said, clutching her stomach.

"Not a clue," Mick sighed. "Someone dumped her maybe? I probably would."

"Oh don't, that's horrible," Amber laughed, afraid that she might be about to launch into another round.

"On Valentine's Day as well," Mick continued. "So harsh."

Amber shook her head, barely able to speak.

"No, I know how she feels actually," Amber finally said. "I'm almost always alone on Valentine's Day. Usually I'm not crying like that though."

"Well that is good to know," Mick laughed. "But yeah, same here."

"You haven't found anyone?" Amber asked, surprised now. He'd been in Australia for years and years it seemed, and she doubted very much that not a single woman found him attractive.

"Oh I've found a few people," nodded Mick. "But as soon as the season starts, it always falls apart. I end up travelling a lot, and even when I'm not playing, I'm training all day every day. I guess it's hard because they end up alone quite a lot, but then I always warn them."

"I get that," Amber said sympathetically. "It's all well and good being in LA for the majority of the year, but tell any guy you're headed to New York for three months and they just can't be bothered waiting. I need someone who has their own life, so it won't matter so much when I lead mine."

"Yes, exactly," Mick nodded. "Someone who isn't going to mope at home or get bored. Someone with her own goals and ambitions in life, who won't care if I'm not with her constantly."

"It sounds harsh, but it's true. I mean, we're not going to be doing this forever. We'll settle eventually, I'm sure, but right now, I don't want to give my whole career up for someone."

"Someone who finally gets it," Mick said, shaking his head. "My parents are still half convinced I'm not actually that great in a relationship and I just blame it on work."

"No, work's hard. I don't know, I feel like I need someone who has their own life too, so neither of us can miss the other too much."

"Definitely," Mick enthused, then paused.

They glanced at one another, both afraid to say anything.

"When you land in England, are you going straight to your parents' house?" asked Mick, trying to sound offhand.

"I'm staying in London for a night, and getting the train the next morning. What about you?" said Amber slowly.

"Staying in London too," Mick nodded. "My friend's picking me up at lunchtime."

"Sounds good," Amber said, waiting for whatever he was about to say next.

"Did you want to get something to eat?" he blurted out suddenly. "We land at four so we could both go back to our hotels and then if you'd like, I could take you out to dinner."

Amber paused, weighing it up. It would be quite nice to actually do something for Valentine's Day, and at this moment, Mick was saying all the right things.

"Don't worry, that was a really stupid suggestion," Mick rambled. "Don't know what came over me. It's just seeing you again, it's sent my head into a bit of a spin and-"

"Sounds great," Amber smiled. "We can have a proper catch up."

"Okay," Mick grinned. "I look forward to it."

\/\O~O/\/

Amber sat on the train home, grinning. She stared down at the scrawled numbers on the piece of paper she currently held, wondering what was going to happen next time she dialled them.

She had to admit, Mick was a much better kisser than he used to be.

* * *

**A/N: I really struggled with this one. I love Mick and Amber, but writing this idea ended up harder than expected. I quite like the ending though! ****I hope you enjoyed this fic! Can't find your favourite couple? Wish you could see a continuation? Hit review and I'll see what I can do. Happy Valentine's Day!**


	5. Patricia and Eddie

**A/N: It's the one you've all been waiting for... Patricia gets wildly out of character by the end of this. I'd apologise but I love it too much to care! **

* * *

Ninth Time's The Charm

They'd never been very good at Valentine's Day.

"Morning," Eddie mumbled, trying to force his eyes open.

"Go away," Patricia groaned, pulling the pillow over her head.

"Love you too," Eddie sighed, rolling his eyes and pulling the pillow away. "What are you, sixteen?"

"I wish," Patricia grumbled. "Didn't know you when we were sixteen. They were happy days."

"What, so you've been unhappy for the last nine years?" Eddie laughed, finally stretching and hopping out of bed.

"I'm unhappy right now," she said pointedly. "Give me my pillow back."

"Nope," he grinned, pulling the duvet off as well.

Patricia shrieked at the sudden cold and glared at him.

"I hate you Eddie Miller!" she yelled, and Eddie ran. He knew when to get out.

Racing down to the kitchen, he'd barely made it into the living room before Patricia appeared in the doorway, eyes furious, trying to hide her smile.

"Be nice. It's a day for love," Eddie pleaded.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't have stolen my duvet," Patricia said, lunging for him round the side of the sofa.

Darting away, Eddie ran round again so they were on opposite sides of the sofa.

"You have work," Eddie pointed out.

"Not good enough," Patricia replied, going for him again and ending up opposite Eddie once more.

"Imagine if you'd been late."

"I wouldn't have cared."

"Oh, come on."

Patricia went for Eddie again and he ran away, feinting as she got closer and trying to get round her. He'd never gotten on with their wooden floors though, and as he tried to race away from her, he slipped and landed painfully on the sofa.

"Revenge is sweet," Patricia grinned, pouncing on top of him.

"Okay, you win, I'm sorry," Eddie surrendered, pushing her away playfully so he could sit up.

"I always win," said Patricia airily, puffing herself up.

"I won you," Eddie smiled, leaning in for a kiss. "That's enough for me. Happy Valentine's Day."

Patricia kissed him back briefly then pulled away, leaving Eddie hanging.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too weasel," she smirked. "Told you revenge was sweet. And don't ever say anything like that again. I nearly sicked in my mouth."

"You are so attractive," Eddie sighed, flopping back down onto the sofa.

"I know," Patricia winked, headed back upstairs to get ready. She did have work after all, as much as she wanted to spend the day on the sofa with him.

Eddie grinned in spite of himself. God he loved that girl. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was seven. That meant they were seven hours into the day and not a single thing had gone wrong. This was good, it was a good sign.

He needed today to be perfect.

Today had to be unlike any other Valentine's Day they'd ever had.

In other words, it couldn't be a complete disaster.

They'd never been very good at Valentine's Day.

They were fine all year round. Neither of them were hugely into big displays of romance, but whenever the occasion arose, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, they got it spot on. The most romantic day of the year though, that they always screwed up.

The first Valentine's Day they'd shared, they'd been seventeen. They'd been dating for approximately a week and neither had found the time to buy a card or a present. While their housemates swapped sweet messages and roses, they'd had to make do with a simple kiss, and an awkward smile.

The next Valentine's Day, Patricia had moaned for weeks beforehand about the date. She hated romance, she told him. Anything soppy made her want to throw up. Everything he had planned, the flowers, the meal, the cute film at the movies, he had to cancel. He didn't want to annoy her, didn't want her to think that he wasn't perfect for her. By this time, Eddie was head over heels for Patricia. He didn't want to ruin what they had. Of course, when Patricia had said she hated Valentine's Day, and when she'd threatened to chop something off if she saw even the slightest hint of romance, she'd been lying. Eddie had assumed he was meant to ignore Valentine's Day. This assumption had been wildly wrong. When the day rolled around and Patricia was stood empty handed while Eddie received chocolates and a new CD, things had all been very awkward.

She hadn't spoken to him for a week. A whole week.

The year after, they hadn't been together. Patricia had finally called a time out on their relationship, after weeks of arguments and a complete breakdown in communication. University had well and truly destroyed them. Eddie had spent Valentine's Day alone in his flat, while the rest of his new flatmates all went to some lame ball. He hadn't been bitter, not at all, and especially not when he saw that Patricia had been out that night. Photos surfaced of her all over other boys, swiftly removed from sight, but the damage had been done.

Thankfully that summer they'd patched everything up, and for their next Valentine's Day, Eddie had gone all out. Determined to make up for the last three lousy years, he'd gone against every single one of his instincts and bought a teddy, flowers, chocolates, jewellery, perfume... everything the woman in the store had told him to buy, he'd bought. His student loan was blown, but he figured it'd be worth it. It had lasted well for approximately ten seconds. She thought the roses were nice, and the card was cute. Eddie knew he should've stopped at that point. He'd cracked it, Patricia was smiling, all was well. He couldn't stop though. As he presented her with the chocolates, he could see her face falling, and the next fifteen minutes of her unwrapping more and more presents was just excruciating. It hadn't helped that her friends had been there.

That had been a week's worth of silence as well.

In their final year at university, Eddie decided he'd nailed it. He invited Patricia over to his house, put a good film on the television, and poured out the wine ready. The takeout pizza had arrived ten minutes after she did, and Eddie was pleased with himself over how well it had gone. Patricia was less pleased. After moaning at him that he was a total cheapskate and pointing out how all her friends had been taken out to dinner by their boyfriends, Patricia stormed out of the house no less than twenty minutes after she'd entered. They'd had a huge argument, but when Patricia called him the next morning, apologising over and over again, Eddie decided no this time.

He'd spent forever planning their romantic night in, and though he knew Patricia was truly sorry, he was beginning to wonder if they suited after all. After some thought, he'd been the one to call things off this time.

This had been their longest break up to date. Over a year passed, including another Valentine's Day. They'd both stared at the phone, feeling very lonely, but neither wanted to be the one to admit defeat. One year wasn't enough time to forget feelings, but it felt too long at the same time. Both assumed the other had moved on, and a desperate call from their ex would be the last thing they wanted. Both were wrong.

By the next year, they were back together again, Eddie having given in first and calling her up one day. They'd taken it slowly at first, trying dating again before making things official, but after a month they'd already moved in together. Taking it slowly didn't really work for them. Their first Valentine's Day back together had been awful though. On his way to work, Eddie had been hit from behind by another driver. Though he was completely fine, only a mild case of whiplash, he'd still decided to take the day off work, a little shaken up. Patricia had wondered what the hell had happened when he came back home only half an hour after he'd left. Between sorting the car out and Patricia's fussing, Valentine's Day had been completely forgotten.

Valentine's Day was forgotten the year after as well, Eddie suspected on purpose. They'd booked a holiday, planning to escape the ever freezing English February, and decided to ignore everything. For two blissful weeks they'd spent their days on the beach in Spain and their evenings in various bars and restaurants. Patricia had never let on that she'd planned their holiday to coincide with Valentine's Day, but Eddie had suspected that was the case. Though he'd gotten over it pretty quickly, his accident the year before had scared her, and she'd had no desires to re-live that day anytime soon.

So here they were. Their ninth Valentine's Day since they'd started dating all those years ago, and they'd yet to have a good day. Today would be good though, he was sure of it.

Patricia arrived back downstairs.

"Are you done in the bathroom?" Eddie asked, still a little sleepy. The deal was that whoever had to go into work earliest got the shower first, and today it was Patricia's turn.

"Not quite," she said. Eddie sat up and found her in her dressing gown still.

"I need a shower!" Eddie groaned.

"Come and have a shower then," Patricia laughed.

"I thought you wanted to go in first."

"Sharing's caring."

Patricia winked at him then scampered up the stairs. Eddie sat there in shock then bounded after her, taking the stairs two at a time.

"I love you Williamson!" he yelled, racing into their room.

\/\O~O/\/

Twenty minutes later, they were both in a mad frenzy.

"I'm going to be so late for work," Eddie grumbled, wolfing his breakfast down and trying to pack his laptop at the same time.

"At least you have time for breakfast," Patricia cried, pulling her other shoe on and racing out of the door. "Love you!"

"Get home on time!" Eddie called.

"I'll do my best!"

He watched as the door swung shut behind her and grinned. Yes, what he had planned for tonight was definitely the right thing to do. Best Valentine's Day ever, coming right up.

\/\O~O/\/

Patricia sighed. It was nine in the morning and the band still hadn't shown up. They only had the studio until eleven as well, a last minute booking they'd just squeezed into; they were meant to be there at eight, but that had always been unrealistic. An hour late though, that was ridiculous. It made Patricia wish she hadn't raced around this morning. She could've had a few more minutes in bed with Eddie, prolonged that goodbye kiss.

It wasn't all bad though. Eddie had promised her something special tonight, and she prayed that it would be a nice surprise. God knows their last eight Valentine's Days hadn't gone to plan.

"Where are they?" she cried in frustration.

Why had she ever gone into the music business? More specifically, management. What had ever persuaded her to do that?

"Apparently they'll be here within ten minutes," her assistant said calmly, trying to soothe her.

"Thank you for that pitiful attempt to reassure me," Patricia laughed. "But we both know it'll be gone ten by the time they roll up."

"I did my best," her assistant smiled sheepishly.

"Patricia Williamson?"

Patricia turned at the sound of her name. Someone was stood at the door holding some packages. She spied what looked like a CD and shook her head.

"Not taking any demos, too busy at the moment," she said, cutting the man off before he could continue. "Try someone else."

"Er, I'm a deliveryman," he said, looking confused. "I've got a parcel for you?"

"Oh," she said, standing up and going over to him. "Sorry."

"No worries," he said, still looking a little afraid. "Have a nice day now."

Patricia took the various things he was offering out to her and took them back to her desk. To say she was puzzled was an understatement.

"Ooh, secret admirer?" her assistant squealed, completely forgetting herself for a second.

"Let's hope not."

Turning her attention to the CD first, she found it was a mixtape of all of her favourite songs. Or more specifically, all of the songs that reminded her of Eddie. Smiling, she moved on to the next parcel. Unwrapping it, a few bags of expensive chocolates fell out, and her smile grew. Only the card remained, and she was starting to get an idea of what might be inside.

_Yacker,_

_Happy Valentine's Day. Here's to the first of many, hopefully._

_Lots of love,_

_Weasel xxx_

Patricia grinned at their childish nicknames.

"Well?" her assistant demanded. "Who's it all from?"

"The best boyfriend in the whole world," Patricia sighed happily, leaning back in her chair.

Nothing else mattered today - her band could show up at six this evening for all she cared. Not even lunchtime and she was on cloud nine. The day was looking promising.

\/\O~O/\/

As her lead guitarist messed up for the tenth time, Patricia shook her head.

"Time out guys," she called into the studio.

They filed out of the little glass room and looked at her guiltily. They knew they were in trouble. Somehow though, she hadn't bitten their heads off for being two hours late, so maybe this wouldn't be as bad as expected.

"I just can't get to grips with-" the guitarist began, but Patricia raised a hand to shut him up.

"Don't care," she said abruptly. "We've got the vocals now, and the piano part is nearly perfect. I'm calling it a day. You guys sucked. Next time I want you on time and actually ready to do some work. Understand?"

The band looked at her in shock, amazed they hadn't just been dropped, then nodded meekly and all but ran out of the room.

"That was... out of character," her assistant said, raising an eyebrow.

"They'll be better next time," Patricia assured her. "Trust me."

"We still had ten minutes left in here."

"That ten minutes wasn't going to produce anything mind-blowing. Come on, let's go back to the office and try and pretend we didn't just waste a load of money."

Leaving the recording studio, Patricia tried to be annoyed at her band for wasting her time and probably getting her into trouble later, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling. As they approached her car, Patricia frowned when she saw something stuck under the window wiper. Drawing closer, Patricia realised it was a single red rose.

Picking it up and pricking herself on a thorn, she found a little envelope tied round the stem.

_Can't believe you stuck it out for a year. Your reward is going to see a movie. With me, of course. _

_Love,_

_Doofus_

Tucked behind the tiny note were two hand-drawn cinema tickets; they had absolutely no details on them other than hinting that they were indeed going to see a film together, but Patricia didn't care. Anything was going to be just fine.

"Good day?" her assistant laughed. She'd never seen Patricia smile this much.

"Just slightly," Patricia grinned, sliding into the driver's seat. "Just slightly."

\/\O~O/\/

Patricia strode into the office block, home of the recording company she worked for. Her assistant said goodbye and headed off in one direction to carry on with her own work. Assistant to Patricia only in the studio, she worked for others at different times in the day.

"Patricia!" one of the men behind the reception desk called as she went to the lifts.

Glancing round, she hurried over to see what he wanted.

"Morning," she smiled, looking at him expectantly.

"Parcel arrived for you not long ago. I said I'd keep it under the desk until you got back. Didn't want anyone stealing a Valentine's Day present off you."

"Another present?" Patricia asked incredulously. "Thank you."

"Any time," the friendly man said, handing her another little package, wrapped in the same paper as if she hadn't guessed already.

Unable to wait until she reached her office, Patricia opened her present in the empty lift. Thinking it was a notebook at first, and touched but confused, Patricia stared at it before letting the pages fall open. Rather than lines, there were photos. This wasn't a notebook, it was a photo album.

Patricia could feel a tear in her eye as she flicked through page after page of photos of her and Eddie. He'd known how much it upset her that so many photos had surfaced after that very drunken Valentine's Day, and this was his way of telling her it was okay, and that they didn't matter anymore. She had all the photos she needed right here.

_Keep smiling_.

The little note on the final page was what did it. Hurrying over to her little desk, Patricia had to take a moment to compose herself before she could attempt any work. Eddie Miller had ruined her.

\/\O~O/\/

Patricia had been sat at her desk for half an hour now, just flicking through the photo album. She'd pretty much resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be getting no work done today, and she was okay with that. Her computer was switched on, the contact details she needed were being displayed on the screen right now, but she just ignored it.

A quiet ping made her glance up. Incoming mail was always exciting.

Patricia clicked on the message quickly and grinned when she saw who it was.

From: Edison Miller

To: Patricia Williamson

Subject: Very Important Work Stuff

1 Attachment

I reckon the subject line will be enough to distract your bosses. Happy Valentine's Day.

Eddie xx

_Sent 12:16_

Patricia eagerly clicked on the attachment, which was apparently a picture. Hoping Eddie hadn't sent her anything that definitely shouldn't be on her screen, she was pleasantly surprised to find a photo of a tiny little teddy holding a loveheart, apparently sitting in her bed. Narrowing her eyes, Patricia went to type out a reply asking what he was playing at, but two more emails quickly dropped into her inbox, both with attachments too.

Photos as well, the second showed a small bottle of her favourite perfume, nestled amongst the rest of her belongings on the dressing table. The final shot, clearly taken in the kitchen, showed a miniature box of chocolates, lying next to a pair of what looked like loveheart earrings.

Smiling at this odd little bunch of emails, Patricia typed out her reply before he could send her anything else.

From: Patricia Williamson

To: Edison Miller

Subject: re: Very Important Work Stuff

'Edison', what is all this? What are you playing at? Happy Valentine's Day to you too.

P xx

P.S. - thank you for everything else this morning. Haven't stopped smiling. Tell anyone that and die.

_Sent 12:21 _

From: Edison Miller

To: Patricia Williamson

Subject: re: Very Important Work Stuff

I tried to go a little smaller this year. Hope I've done an okay job. And to save you the embarrassment, I haven't wrapped them. They're all just waiting for you at home.

I love you.

Eddie xx

_Sent 12:22_

Patricia's mouth fell open. These presents were all hers, ready for when she arrived home tonight.

Patricia was gone. She was melting. Eddie had never been this sweet. Ever. She wondered what made today so special, but didn't care all that much. She was having a perfect day, and felt no need to question it quite intensely. Instead she was going to sit back and enjoy it.

\/\O~O/\/

Patricia decided to abandon work until lunchtime. Perhaps if she took an early lunch, she could refocus herself and try to complete everything she needed to today. Eddie surely had to be done by now. She knew he was taking her somewhere tonight, probably out to a nice restaurant, which would be just fine. The grand finale to a lovely day.

Little did she know.

Wanting something light in case they were going to a fancy restaurant, Patricia made her mind up to grab a jacket potato from the little stand outside her building.

As she locked her computer and grabbed her coat and bag to make her way through the building, she found herself attracting odd stares. She realised it was because she looked so happy, but she honestly didn't care. Patricia was notorious for being hard and business-like at work, because it was the only way to guarantee results, but she couldn't keep it up today. Today was too perfect.

Flinging the door open, she flinched as a wall of cold hit her. God she'd kill to be back on a beach in Spain. Hurrying across to the stall, annoyed that there was already a queue, she took her place, trying to stay close to the pavement. Their office was surrounded by a few other blocks, all part of one big industrial estate, and so the car parks and roads were constantly full of expensive cars zooming around.

Illustrating her point perfectly, a dark grey car flew into the lot, screeching to a halt next to the queue and making everyone jump. Patricia glared at the car and went to make a snarky comment, but the driver wound the window down.

"Jacket potato?" Eddie called, an unimpressed look on his face. "Really?"

Patricia stood there, in shock. Eddie was meant to be at work.

"What are you doing here?"

"Taking you out for lunch, obviously," Eddie laughed. "Get in the car already!"

Patricia looked nervously around at her fellow colleagues in the queue. Most of them were grinning at her, motioning for her to get in. Feeling like a teenager again, Patricia giggled and hopped into the passenger seat.

Eddie leaned across to give her a quick kiss and then sped off again.

"Eddie, what are you playing at?" Patricia laughed. "Where are we going?"

"Lunch, I told you," he said, shaking his head. "Thought we'd go somewhere nearby. I don't want you late back for your lunch break."

"I'm never getting any work done this afternoon," Patricia sighed, as five minutes later, Eddie pulled into a cute little pub just off the main road.

"At least pretend," Eddie laughed, helping her out of the car and walking inside.

Patricia gazed around as they were taken to their seats. It was a proper pub, with dark wood floors and walls and furniture, and old paintings hung up in various places. Fairly quiet, and incredibly small, the most delicious smells were wafting out of the kitchen.

"Is this okay?" their waitress asked, showing them to a table for two in one of the windows.

"Yeah," Eddie smiled, pulling Patricia's chair out for her. "Thanks."

Nodding and handing them the menus, she left the two of them alone. Patricia wanted to laugh again.

"Why are you doing all of this?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Because I love you," Eddie replied simply. "And because for once, just once, I want you to have a nice Valentine's Day."

"I think I'm having the best day of my life," Patricia laughed. "You didn't have to do all this though. I know what you're trying to do, and it's cute, but it must've taken forever."

"It was entirely worth it," Eddie informed her. "And I did. I want to make up for all the horrible Valentine's Days you've had to spend knowing me."

"They haven't all been horrible."

Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, some have been horrible, but I mean, last year wasn't so bad."

"We didn't even celebrate last year," Eddie laughed. "Anyway, order your food. I don't want you to be late back to work and have to stay late tonight."

"There's more tonight?" Patricia asked incredulously. "Eddie, flowers, presents, lunch... this is all more than enough."

"Oh Patricia," he sighed, rolling his eyes at her. "I'm just getting started. Now what do you want to drink?"

\/\O~O/\/

"...and then we shared ice cream!" said Patricia excitedly.

"Oh my god, he sounds so perfect," the girl who worked on the desk next to her sighed.

"He is perfect," Patricia smiled.

"And he paid for everything?"

"Everything."

Patricia was currently telling everyone what had happened over lunch. At least seven co-workers from nearby desks were gathered around her little workspace, discovering a side of Patricia they'd never seen before. Patricia didn't care - Eddie had won her over today. She was a soppy mess and it didn't bother her.

"I wish I had a boyfriend who did Valentine's Day like this."

"He's never done this before," Patricia snorted. "It's a total first. And we've been together for nine years now."

"That's such a long time! I never even knew you had a boyfriend!"

"Well I'm not really one for personal lives," Patricia said, cringing. "But when he speeds into the car park and yells for me, it's quite hard to keep it quiet."

Another couple of people drifted over to see what was happening, and Patricia got ready to launch into her story of how amazing her lunch had been. Proper steak and chips, drinks, dessert; she wanted everyone to know just how wonderful her day had been so far. This wouldn't last - tomorrow she'd go back to the silent and harsh person everyone knew her as, but it was fun for today. Before she could speak to them though, her phone started ringing.

"Oh, excuse me," Patricia said, her face falling as she held her phone up.

Disappointed that they had to get back to work, her colleagues sloped back to their desks slowly, wishing they were having such a nice Valentine's Day and wondering what made Patricia so special.

Patricia looked down at her phone and saw that her caller was Eddie. Her stomach lurched. Had their first real shot at having a great Valentine's Day been ruined? She'd only left him two hours ago.

"What's wrong?" she asked frantically, pressing the answer button with shaking fingers.

"Nothing, what's wrong with you?" Eddie asked, sounding alarmed.

"I don't like getting random phone calls in the middle of the day," she said, scolding him but relaxing into her chair again. "Don't do that to me. What do you want?"

"Oh. Just to tell you that I love you," he said. "I'm fine."

"You've told me that already," Patricia smiled, shaking her head. "Several times today."

"And I wanted to say it again. And to hear your voice."

"Why?"

"Just reminding myself why I shouldn't ever let you go, ever again. There should never have been a single Valentine's Day we spent apart."

Patricia was silent, not sure how to reply to that. She'd spent months waiting for this phone call when she was twenty two. The first year she had to be a proper adult and she'd spent the whole time behaving like a teenager again.

"Eddie, you don't have to keep trying to make up for the past," she said finally. "Not all of our failed Valentine's Days were your fault."

"I don't care," he replied. "I'm going to carry on doing it. Now, I need to get back to work. I'm glad I caught you."

"Yeah, I'm totally rushed off my feet," said Patricia, looking at her computer which hadn't been unlocked since she got back. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Patricia leaned back in her chair after hanging up, beaming.

"Did he just call you?"

Several heads swivelled in her direction, eager to know what had happened.

"He might have done."

"What for? What's his latest surprise?"

"No surprise," smiled Patricia. "He just wanted to tell me he loved me."

A chorus of squeals was all it took for nearly every worker in the building to come and gather round Patricia's desk again, as she launched into the story behind the phone call.

\/\O~O/\/

Patricia was driving home after what felt like the longest day ever. In reality, she'd done absolutely no work. This morning had been a write off, and all she'd achieved this afternoon was sending a few emails off. Not the most productive of days, but she decided she could just work doubly hard tomorrow.

Not even the most dedicated worker could have concentrated with the day she'd had. And it wasn't even over. As promised, she'd bolted out of work, not wanting to be late for whatever Eddie had planned.

At the same time, she felt like she wanted to be late. Until now, everything had been lovely. He'd been re-doing all of their Valentine's Days, right from their very first when they'd just been seventeen. If she was right in thinking though, the next Valentine's Day was without doubt one of the worst days of her life. When she'd gone to the garage and seen Eddie's car, with its scratched and crumpled back, she'd felt sick. It wasn't because of what had actually happened, but what could have happened. The thought of losing him was unbearable.

She was hoping he'd just skip this one and finish with last year's, which although they hadn't celebrated, had been a lovely day. They'd done nothing but lie on the beach all day. Utter perfection. Not that she was expecting a beach, but a cocktail or two wouldn't go amiss.

Pulling onto the drive, she locked the car up and let herself into the house.

She was eager to see Eddie, to thank him properly for everything he'd done.

"Hello?"

Throwing her stuff onto the sofa, Patricia wandered through to the kitchen, but found the house empty. That was odd. And after she'd made the effort to leave work early. Perhaps Eddie had been caught up at work. She figured after the day she'd had, she could probably forgive him for that.

About to go and settle in front of the television, Patricia spotted a note propped up on the side just as she was about to leave.

_Put something nice on and I'll see you in a few._

_Love you xxx_

Patricia grinned. And so it continued.

Fifteen minutes later, Patricia was sat back on the sofa, completely transformed. She wasn't sure where she was meant to be going, so she hadn't been entirely sure of what to wear. Knowing they probably wouldn't be going to a restaurant after lunch, she'd decided she didn't need to go overboard on the look.

Deciding to play Eddie at his own game, she'd pulled out one of the blue dresses she'd taken on holiday last year, one she knew Eddie adored. Rather than flip flops and a hat though, this time she was wearing black tights, a leather jacket and some flat black pumps. She'd left her hair down, soft and wavy, and just topped up her mascara and lipstick.

Bring it on, she thought.

A car horn from outside scared the living daylights out of her. Racing to the window, she stared outside in shock. Just when she thought Eddie couldn't possibly have any more surprises up his sleeve.

Seeing her at the window, her waved at her cheerfully from the driver's seat of an old-fashioned convertible.

Patricia raced outside, almost forgetting to lock the house up in her hurry.

"Are you crazy?" she giggled, climbing in next to him.

"Most definitely," he grinned.

"It's February!" Patricia laughed. "It's freezing!"

"I know, but this car's a beauty right?" he said.

Rolling her eyes, Patricia leaned right over and gave Eddie a kiss, a proper one this time, not the short and sweet one they'd shared at lunchtime. In a test of all his strength, Eddie managed to pull away, feeling a little lightheaded.

"We're going to be late," he said apologetically, putting the car into gear. "But later..."

"I'm going to have to see what you have planned next," said Patricia, trying to sound casual. "Not making any promises."

"You're going to love it."

"What is it?"

"Surprise!"

Eddie pulled off their drive and sped away down their road, far, far too quickly. As soon as he hit the country roads, he pressed his foot down and they flew to their destination. Though it was only just gone six in the evening, it was already getting dark. A combination of wind and speed made Patricia's hair blow around everywhere, but she was having far too much fun to care.

All too soon, Eddie slowed down and pulled into what looked at first sight to be a plain car park.

"Where are we going weasel?" she asked suspiciously, slightly breathless from their journey.

"You'll see," he winked.

Guiding the car across the gravel, Eddie turned a corner, and before them loomed a huge screen. Various other cars were already parked up in front of it, and Eddie found a spot behind a few others.

"Promised I'd take you to a movie," he smiled, shutting off the engine and watching Patricia's eyes light up.

"Drive-in movie?" she asked softly. "I've always wanted to go to one of these."

"I know," Eddie said proudly. "Valentine's Day special."

Reaching behind the seats, Eddie pulled out a couple of blankets and a huge basket. Handing one blanket to Patricia, they both wrapped themselves up and then Eddie revealed enough picnic food to feed a small army. Patricia's mouth fell open, but before she could say anything, the movie started.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Eddie whispered, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she replied, smiling.

After thanking Eddie a million times, Patricia snuggled into his arms and watched the movie contentedly, a warm glow inside.

\/\O~O/\/

"Best Valentine's Day ever," Patricia said happily as Eddie wandered into their bedroom.

They'd just gotten back from the drive-in movie, full of food and giggly from the car ride back. Patricia had gone straight upstairs, which Eddie had been very pleased about. She was currently sat on their window seat, her favourite place in the house. The bay window in the master bedroom had been what convinced Patricia she wanted this house, and Eddie wasn't about to refuse her.

She was sat there now, gazing out into their garden and across the rooftops of their village.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed it," Eddie replied, padding over to the window and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"It's been perfect," she said, raising her head to look at him. "Honestly. Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome," Eddie said, kissing her forehead. "And very much worth it."

"So, what about last year?" Patricia teased. "Where's the re-do of that?"

"Last year was pretty good," Eddie sighed.

"I know," Patricia said happily. "I'm kidding. I don't think anything could top that."

They both stared out of the window in silence for a moment, and suddenly the clouds cleared. A bright, full moon was suddenly in clear view, so huge it lit the whole room up in a ghostly white light.

Patricia gasped and looked up at Eddie excitedly. He grinned.

"This is like that night!" she said, arms flapping. When she looked at his smug expression, she shook her head. "Fair play. Very well planned. How did you know I'd be sat here to see it though?"

"I didn't," Eddie admitted. "It's just handy that I know you so well."

"That night was pretty special, wasn't it?" Patricia mused.

"Yes."

Exactly a year ago, Eddie and Patricia had been lying on a beach in Spain. Deciding to go at night for a change, they'd wandered down to the water's edge, hand in hand. There was a very gentle breeze, and the sand swept over their feet, tickling them. The beach had practically been deserted, and they'd both just stood in awe as the deep black sea had reflected the bright white moon in the sky. They'd instantly decided they preferred the beach at night, and after a kiss or three, they'd flopped down into the sand, lying side by side.

Patricia had closed her eyes, listening to the water lapping at the sand, and Eddie had just watched Patricia. The smile playing on her face, the way her eyelashes had fluttered over the tops of her cheeks. He'd fallen even more in love with her that night, something he hadn't thought possible.

"What were you thinking that night?" Eddie asked.

"That I was happy," Patricia replied. "That I was truly, completely happy for the first time ever. That I could have stayed on that beach forever, just you and me, and that would have been enough. What about you?"

"That forever wouldn't have been long enough," he smiled. "Are you still that happy?"

"Happier," Patricia replied simply, and Eddie grinned.

This was it.

Letting go of Patricia, he reached into his pocket. She turned round, confused as to the sudden loss of contact, only to find Eddie kneeling on the floor. On one knee, to be precise. Holding a tiny black box.

Her heart skipped and she pressed a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Yeah, so this was the real surprise," he began nervously, and she smiled, tears already falling. "I love you. I think I have done ever since we were seventeen. And we've spent so many years dancing around and wasting time apart when we should have been together. I don't want to spend any more time apart. This time last year, when we were on that beach, I looked at you and finally realised that life wasn't going to get any better than this. There was nothing else that was going to make me as happy as you. And now I'm hoping you'll let me make you as happy as you make me. So, what I'm saying is... will you-"

"Yes," Patricia cried, leaping off the window seat and into his arms. "Yes, always yes."

She didn't want to let him finish. She couldn't wait any longer.

"Of course you'd ruin my perfectly planned speech," Eddie grumbled, trying to get up from where she'd bowled him over.

"I love you," Patricia said breathlessly, holding out a shaking hand as Eddie slid a simple gold band onto her finger. "I love you, and I love today, and tonight, and this very moment."

"Happy Valentine's Day," Eddie smiled, helping her up from the floor and wrapping his arms around her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Patricia grinned, leaning up to kiss him.

They stood, two silhouettes against the moon, knowing that they'd finally gotten it right.

* * *

**A/N: Congratulations for making it to the end! Can't believe you guys ever thought I'd fail to write a Peddie fic for Valentine's Day! The only reason it wasn't posted yesterday was because it quite simply wasn't finished - ended up being so much longer than I ever imagined. It's also very cheesy, but I don't care. ****I hope you enjoyed this fic! Can't find your favourite couple? Wish you could see a continuation? Hit review and I'll see what I can do. Hope you had a happy Valentine's Day!**


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